"Call me a sinner, call me a saint. Tell me it's over, I'll still love you the same. Call me your favorite, call me the worst. Tell me it's over, I don't want you to hurt." - Shinedown
After talking to Dean, I remember falling asleep, but now I heard rushed whispers, and opened my eyes, looking for the source. I guess I wasn't tired, but the meds made me very sleepy. Damn... So, I saw my father and Vince standing at the door, looking at AJ as she nodded.
"Are you sure?" Father asked.
"She's fine, they gave her painkillers." She sipped on some coffee. "But I guess she wants to do this..."
"Do what?" Vince asked.
"Dad?" I called, my voice barely a whisper.
"Lacey, dear..." He turned around quickly, rushing to my side and hugging me.
"Sweetheart..." Vince stopped by the other side, holding my hand. "You scared us."
"They've been telling me that." I chuckled.
"How are you feeling?" Vince asked.
"I'm good, I guess I can go back to work right now, bu-"
"You're not going back until that doctor tells us you can." Dad shook his head.
"He said I can, next week." I shrugged.
"Don't worry about it, you can get a couple of weeks off. You'll still be there for the pay-per-view, I promise, but you need to rest until there."
"See? Nothing to worry about." Dad smiled. "April said you'd like to explain to us something..."
I bit my bottom lip and looked at AJ, still at the door.
"I'll get a refill." She nodded, closing the door.
I didn't really want her to leave, because I'd feel better with her around, with this whole thing of miscarriage and all, but I guess Dad and Vince wanted to talk to me alone, and well, it was a sensitive topic.
"Well, you two might want to take a seat..." I sat up on the bed, fixing my pillow, but my dad was faster and did that for me. "Thanks, dad." I smiled.
"Please, Lacey, you're scaring me now..." Vince looked at my father and then back at me, as both of them sat on my bed.
For a few seconds, I had to hold a chuckle. They had been best friends since always, but yes, right now, they did look like a couple, taking care of their daughter.
"Well, uh..." I took a deep breath. There was no way of telling them that, so I had to spill it. "I had a miscarriage."
"What?" My father asked, his blue eyes wide. "You were pregnant?!" He didn't yell, but his voice showed how shocked he was.
"You shouldn't be wrestling, Lacey!" Vince covered his face with one of his hands.
"I didn't know I was pregnant. I mean, nothing changed and I was so busy and everything that I had no time to even notice..." I sighed. "I'm sorry. What happened is that during the match, I was hurting really bad and had to go see the doctor. I started bleeding, and he sent me here. After some exams, they told me... that I had a miscarriage." I looked down at my hands, somehow embarrassed. It felt like it was my fault, that I did something wrong.
"I'm sorry..." Vince said, taking one of my hands in his. "I have no idea what to do or say to make you feel better..."
"It's okay... I mean... I still feel like it's not real. It'd probably hurt a lot more if I knew about the kid before, but, y'know... I just didn't."
"I know this is not the moment to, but, who was the father?" Dad asked.
"I'm not marrying him, if that's what you gonna tell me." I joked, and he leaned in, kissing my forehead, before giving me a sad smile. "It's a long and weird history, please don't ask. I think it's... I think it's Dean."
"Okay..." Dad took a deep breath.
"He was outside when we came, so, that explains a lot. I made Colby, Joe, and Stephen leave, but he and April refused to. The three of them only left because I said they should be resting for the show, and that I and your father would take care of you now. Jon didn't move even when I said I'd fire him if he didn't leave." Vince forced a smile. "I'll give you two these weeks off... You must be really sad about it."
"Well... Uh... Me and Dean... We... We're not dating... But... I think I'm speaking for both of us when I say it's no need." I bit my lip.
"Lacey, I understand you love that company, but you need at least one week off." Vince held my chin, making me look up at him. "Do you understand?"
"You'll come back home with me for this week, and when you're completely okay, I'll let you go back to the road." Dad stated.
"Okay..." I nodded, knowing they wouldn't give up. "But how will we explain all of it? I want to keep it a secret..."
"We can say you hurt your ribs... You come back next week but don't wrestle, to be more believable." Vince said.
"Okay." I nodded. "And when can I leave this hospital?"
"Doctor said you could leave as soon as you woke up." Dad smiled. "One of the guys brought fresh clothes, so, if you feel better, we call the doctor and ask if it's really okay."
"I'd rather spend the night at the hotel before going home." I forced a smile.
"Okay, I'll call the doctor." Vince stood up, walking to the door.
"Are you really okay, or just acting tough?" Dad moved a lock of my hair from my face, before cupping my cheek.
"I'm okay." I smiled. "Just need a shower."
"You're a tough girl, aren't you?" He kissed my forehead, and I smiled up at him.
"Like my father taught me." I chuckled.
Vince soon came back with the doctor, who, of course, gave me meds in case I felt pain again, and then AJ brought me my clothes and I got changed in the bathroom. It was actually really good to be able to properly walk again.
"Okay, out of this hospital we go." AJ chuckled.
Father insisted to help me, so I had to hold on his arms all the way to the waiting room, and as soon as Dean saw me, he stood up. He had bags under his eyes, and two empty cups of coffee beside him.
"Is everything okay?" He asked.
"Yes, we're going back to the hotel." AJ replied.
"Can I go with you? I came with Seth and Roman, so..."
"Of course, son." Vince tapped his shoulder. "I'm sorry about what happened."
"Me too." Dean smiled sadly and looked at me. "Me too." He sighed.
Vince drove us back, so I had to be in the backseat beside Dean, which felt pretty weird. I didn't plan on being that close to him, and he'd look at me all the time. So, dad and Vince walked me and AJ to our room, then went to their rooms. I ended up taking a long shower, before laying down on the bed.
"Punk was already buying tickets to come, but I knew Vince would be here, and it wouldn't end up that good..." AJ laid down beside me.
"I'll call him first thing in the morning." I yawned. "And Leigh." I snuggled up to her. "How's Stephen?"
"Worried."
"Do you think he's already sleeping?"
"I doubt that. Are you gonna talk to him?"
"Do you mind texting him to come here? We talked, but it was pretty quick, and yeah..."
"Sure." She kissed my forehead.
AJ took my cellphone, and within minutes came a knock on the door, she rushed to open it, while I sat up. Stephen came towards me and gave me a long hug.
"It's fine. Bad thing's I won't wrestle for a couple of weeks." I joked, chuckling nervously.
"What's gonna be the excuse for this all?"
"Vince will say I hurt my ribs..."
"What about the ring rat? She saw you bleeding." AJ bit down her lip.
"She won't say anything." Stephen said.
"I know." I nodded.
"Every single Diva and Superstar in that arena sat down in shock after the show. Vince made me go back to the arena, and they all were so fucking worried." Stephen sighed. "And you thought all of them hated you."
"They do. We all know some of them do. But when one of us get hurt..."
"It's like family, they can't help it." AJ completed, and I smiled. "Paige must be going nuts right now."
"Remind me to talk to her before going home." I chuckled.
"Home?" Stephen asked.
"My dad wants me to spend this week with him, he probably wants to make sure I'm okay and that I'm not wrestling before I'm totally fine."
"And he's right." AJ smiled softly.
"How did Dean react?" Stephen asked, hesitantly.
"He... Cried." I shrugged.
"Never seen him as nervous as he was in that waiting room..." He sighed.
"Isn't it all his fault?" I shrugged.
"Yeah..." AJ took a deep breath. "We should go to sleep now."
"She's right." Stephen smiled. "See you before you go tomorrow?"
"Sure." I nodded, with a small smile. "Goodnight."
"Night." He hugged me, and then AJ as well, and walked out.
She locked the door and laid down beside me, hugging me tightly.
"We'll work it all out." She whispered.
"Let's forget about it all, okay? We've got Phil's surprise this weekend, and after that, I don't want any of us being sad again, alright?" I whispered back.
"Alright." She kissed my forehead. "Love you."
"Love you too."
So, I didn't even realize I slept, but then the next morning I woke up early to pack up, and just as expected, before breakfast, Vince came to say goodbye, because he had to go home, and then Dad came to take me and AJ for breakfast. Before we left the hotel, I called Punk to tell him I was really fine, and we talked for like, half an hour or something because he insisted that with all these things happening, we should cancel 'the surprise'. But I said he shouldn't, else I'd feel like a party pooper, and after a lot of talking, he finally agreed.
Then, after breakfast with my father and AJ, I talked to Paige, and assured her I was okay, and I lost count of how many times she apologized, but I insisted it wasn't her fault. It wasn't, of course, but I knew she didn't think so. I called Leigh as well, to assure her everything was fine and to tell her I'd have to go home with my dad, but she didn't like that very much, saying she wanted to see me too, and it wasn't fair that the guys were there for me, but she wasn't. Then, as my father waited in his room, I went to the guys'.
"So, I'm leaving." I said, stopping by the door, with AJ.
"Just one week, right?" Seth hugged me.
"Less. We'll see each other on the weekend, remember? We got a surprise." I smile.
"Good, 'cause I'll be worried." Roman hugged me as well.
"You're gonna be fine, right?" AJ smiled.
"I will. And you guys?"
"We'll miss you." Seth chuckled. "But you'll text?" He asked, and I nodded yes. "Call? FaceTime? Skype? Everything?"
"Yes, Seth, yes." I laughed, hugging him and Roman again. "I love you two so much!"
"Hey!" AJ called, so I turned around and hugged her.
"And I love you too. So much." I chuckled.
"So, you're leaving?" Dean asked, stopping by the door. By the sweat on his clothes, I believe he was running.
"Yup." I shrugged, grabbing my bag. "See you guys." I placed a kiss on Seth and Roman's cheeks.
"I'll miss you." Dean said.
"See you 'round, Ambrose." I nodded at him, waved at the guys, and walked to Stephen's room with AJ, but unfortunately, he wasn't there, so I just texted to say I was leaving, then went to my father's room.
-x-x-x-
Being home again was the best feeling in the world, especially when I had cramps all the time, was bleeding a lot, and needed comfort. Of course, I'd have all of this at Seth's, but with my father around, I felt kind of safe. He'd do anything for me, wouldn't even let me stand up from the couch to grab a soda, 'cause he'd do that for me. Bought all of my favorite foods, and even got himself days off work to take care of me. Now he was in the kitchen, making me some hot cocoa.
"Your mom's on the phone..." He called, while I sat in the living room, watching a random horror movie on Netflix.
I took the phone, let out a long sigh, and prepared myself for what was coming. Couldn't be good, coming from my mother.
"Heard you got a week off. Means you can do it again and come to my wedding." Woah! Not even a hello? I knew she wouldn't bother shooting me a 'how are you?' but wedding already? Right away? Unbelievable.
"Did you also hear why I can't work this week?" I asked, not being afraid of getting too harsh on her. This is what she was asking for, after all. I was exhausted, and that was the last thing I needed from my mother.
"Well, if I mention the fact that you don't call to tell me what's going on with y-" No, no, no. Not this.
"Should I? You never even call me." I rolled my eyes.
"Are you coming or not?"
"I can't, this is not a vacation."
"Then tell me, my beloved child, why can't you work this week?"
"Look, I don't even know if I should tell you, let alone on a call."
"Wait, let me get this straight: you can't come to my weeding but I should travel all the way to the US because you hurt yourself doing the job you chose, even after I warned you about every single risk? How lovely."
"No, I wasn't saying that. I don't need you to come. And you don't even care, so why would I bother to tell you anything?"
"Because I am your mother."
"It doesn't really feel like it"
"It's not my fault you love your father more."
"So it's my fault?! I can't believe that. You wanna know? I won't argue."
"See? You never want to talk to me!" She yelled.
"Don't yell at me because I don't wanna argue with my absent mother about her stupid wedding when I had a fucking miscarriage night before. I lost a child I didn't even know I was carrying. Now if you excuse me, I must rest." And after that, I hung up, covering my face with my hands and taking deep breaths to calm myself down. How could she be so cold? All she does is care for her own self, and I am her freaking daughter! Even Linda cared more about me than she does. Way more.
"The wedding again." My dad sighed. I guess even the neighbors could hear me yelling.
"Yeah, and she blamed me for her absence. Pff. She didn't even ask if I was okay."
Dad took a deep breath and hugged me. "Sometimes I wish I could give you a better mother."
"Don't worry. I have a terrible mother, but I have the most awesome father I could've had."
"I love you, Lacey."
"I love you too, dad." I smiled.
-x-x-x-
And finally, Friday was here, which meant one good thing and one bad thing: good news, Punk's surprise! Bad news, saying goodbye to my father, and God knows when I'd see him again. He took me out to dinner the night before and told me how it was okay to be confused about my own feelings, but I should think it all through. I guess you can't really lie to your parents, right? I didn't even tell my father about Stephen or Dean, and he came up with this whole conversation. I was happy to hear that, tho, he was supporting me, and that was everything I needed. Then, in the morning, he took me to the airport, and Punk went to pick me up when I arrived in Chicago. Seth and Leigh had already arrived, so AJ and she decided to go shopping, so that's what the three of them did.
"So, you're really fine?" Punk asked, as he put my bag in my room.
"Yup. And you've asked that at least 60 times this week. Twenty of them only today." I chuckled.
"You had a miscarriage, Lacey." He sighed.
"Yeah, but I'm fine. I can even wrestle again in two days. I mean, Vince said I shouldn't, so things would feel more believable, but Hunter assured me I would. I'm feeling great, alright?" I took his hand in mine. "And I'll feel even better in a couple of hours." I winked.
"I hope so." He hugged me. "Well, then, let's go downstairs to wait for AJ and Leigh."
"Pff, they'll probably take a few hours." I laughed.
"Seth's with them, so, I doubt that." He chuckled as we walked downstairs.
"What did she want to buy?" I chuckled.
"Well, AJ wanted a-" He was saying, but the bell rang and the door was opened.
"I'm coming in!" It was Rom's deep voice.
"Rommy!" I yelled, running towards him and jumping in his arms. "Missed yoooou!"
"I missed you too, dollface." He chuckled, but when I let go, I noticed he didn't close the door, and he looked at me a bit nervous.
"Hey, buddy. Need help with your bags?" Punk asked, with a smile.
"Hm..." Roman rubbed the back of his neck. "He... Eh..."
"I was at Roman's, so..." He stepped in, a bag in his hands. How. Fucking. Awesome.
"Oh, hi, Dean." Punk raised a brow.
"I can stay in a hotel i-"
"It'd be better." Punk nodded, before looking at me.
"I don't mind him staying. If that's the problem..." I shrugged, not even looking at Dean.
Punk took a deep breath. "If anything happens, you're walking out of here and never coming back. Hear me? No arguments, no fights. And don't you even think about being your psycho self. Be normal. Do you understand, Ambrose?"
"Yes." Dean nodded.
"Good." Punk sighed. "He's staying in your room, Roman."
"I know the way." Roman smiled, before patting Dean's back and starting their way up the stairs.
"Is it really okay? I'm pretending he doesn't exist, but if you don't want him here, you should tell him to go. It's not much of you, letting people stay when you don't want them to." I chuckled, sitting down, and he did as well. "I just don't want him to ruin your special day."
"Nothing will." Punk smiled. "He's with Roman, so I guess Ro will babysit him. Anyway, wanna see the ring?"
"Yes!" I clapped, and he took a black velvet box from his pocket, opening it to show me the most wonderful ring ever. "Oh, my God!"
"It's white gold, with a diamond. Think she's gonna like it?" He blushed slightly. Now that was new.
"Of course! She'll love it, Phil! It's amazing!" I chuckled, closing the box. "Now hide it, she could be here anytime."
"You're right." He smiled. "I'm so fucking nervous, and she's not even here."
"This is good. Means you really love her." I smiled proudly, before hugging him. "I can't believe that two of my best friends are getting married."
"If she says yes, of course. But isn't it weird that Batman is marrying Harley?" He joked, and I laughed.
"I'm not sure if I should find a Joker, Harvey or Robin." I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.
"Find those three and we'll choose." He winked and I laughed.
"I'm totally doing that." I nodded.
---
I totally had to spill Punk's surprise before it happened but yeah :p haha
It's a longish chapter, but pretty much a filler, but still, I hope you guys like it <3
Please leave a comment below to tell me the following:
- Do you think Dean will behave at Punk's?
- Who's the cutest: Seth&Leigh or Punk&AJ?
- Should Lacey be with Stephen or Dean?
- Who would you choose as your best friend: Punk, Seth or Roman?
- Do you think Lacey was too harsh on her mother or she deserved it?
- Who would you want as a girl best friend: AJ or Leigh?
Also, don't forget to vote <3 see you all next chapter!!
{originally published feb 26, 2017}